Crystallizer cooker



July 21,1931. F. LAFEUILLE 1 1,315,852

' CRYSTALLJFZER COOKER Fild Sept. 12, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 21, 1931. F. LAFEUILLE CRYSTALLIZER COOKER Filed Sept. 12. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fat , Patented Jul 21, 1931 PATENT ounce BERNARD LAFEUILLE, OB PARIS,FBA1ICE cnxsrnnnrzna 000m Application filed September 13, 1928, Serial 170. 805,571, and in France November 80, 1927. I

' The present invention has reference to improvements in apparatus known as Uniform thermic working crystallizers and Tubular rotary crystallizer cookers which form the {8 subject of United States Patents Nos. 1,653,712 of the 27th December 1927 and 1,649,601 of the th November 1927.

In the, a par-atus in question, the rectilinear and paralizel tubes serving for the circulation 10' of liquids (cold water, hot water or steam) are assembled at each of their ends on the tube-plates which close the tubular body of the ap aratus by the operation known as ex an in When this expansion is carew in 1y carried out, the assembly thus obtained is suficientl tight to withstand a pressure .of several ki ograms. In addition, these tubes are placed in communication two by two by means of elbows of; cast iron (or any other as suitable metal) which are ti htened up against the outer wall of the tu e plate by means of nuts screwed onto stud bolts fastened in the tube plate. Washers of rubber or of any other suitable substance are pressed as against the tube plate and the ed es of the cast iron elbow. In this manner t ere is ensnred, on the one hand the tightness of the joint between the rectilinear tubes and the tube plate and on the other hand of the joint so between this plate and the cast iron elbows.

Experience has proved that the tightness "of these expanded joints, like those. of the flat oints, can only be maintained at the cost of a very vigilant supervision and that it is frequently necessary to efi'ect fresh expansion and retighteningof the nuts. This occurs particularly in cookin apparatus in which there is caused to flow a ternately in the tubes,

water which is much colder than the cooked mass and water or steam which is much hotter than the cooked mass. The same disadvantags is often encountered with the coils of ordinary cooking apparatus. It is produced-in this case, however, by the fact that the number of joints is much largerthan in the old fixed cooking apparatus. In addition, a particular circumstance contributes to the destruction of the tightness of the expanded l r j oin'fs, i; e. a certain crank movement which is 5 set 1p in the circulation tubes by the fact of the more or less considerable flexure of these tubes between the tube plate and the nearest stay-plate. This flexure, combined I with the rotation of the apparatus sets up the crank movement referred to above and results in a more or less rapid loosening of the expandedjoint.

This supervision of the joints, as also the re-making and repairs which result there from, involve losses of time in the use of the apparatus, without eliminating the ver serious risk resulting from the introduction of water or steam into the cooked mass in the course of crystallization or concentration.

The present invention permits these drawbacks and dangers to be entirely overcome by the elimination of every joint and of every expanded joint giving rise to the risk of water" or steam coming into contact with the cooked mass.

Furthermore, the arrangement about to be described has the advantage of rendering active the surfaces of the pipes which were previousliy located away rom the cooked mass an which were, in consequence, not used for the changes in temperature.

In the accompanying drawings, there has been shown purely dlagrammatically and only by way of example an embodiment of an-improvedap aratus in accordance with 80 the invention: 11 the drawi s,

Figs. 1 and 1a are elevation views in partial section through the axis of an apparatus constructed according to the present invention, and taken at opposite ends of the apparatus;

Fib. 1b is a detail showing the preferred manner of joining together the ends of the tubes of the apparatus. I

Fig. 2 is, a cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

The results referred to above are obtained by the adaptation and combination of the 2 following means:

As in the case of the transformation of the simple crystallizer into a cooker-crystallizer, there has been added to one of the ends of the crystallizer 1 a chamber of larger diameter 2, called the vacuum chamber, in

like manner there has been added to the op- 00 posite end a chamber 3 (which may have the other suitable arrangement.

same diameter) and which will be termedthe connection chamber or water inlet and outlet chamber. In the case of a simple crystallizer,

there will thus be added a connectlon chamber to each of the ends (as in this case there is not a vacuum chamber).

The tube plates 4 and 5which, in the old arrangement, closed each end of the body of distribution shown in the figure at 13 or any The apparatus consists also of a device enabling the heating of the cooked mass to be carried out by the circulation of hot water. A circulation pump 14 sends the water into the cooker and takes it up a ain when leaving the apparatus. Between t e pump and the cooker there is inserted a steam injector 15 i stay plates distributed. throughout the length consisting of a cylindrical body in which are arranged-a certain number of tubes of lesser diameterpierced with small holes, to which steam s fed by the pipe '16. Two thermoineters 17-17 immerse in the water circulation pipe permit of controlling the temperatures' c this water when entering and leaving 7 v the cooker. Finally, the improved apparatus is provided wlth a. device permittmg the cooked mass to enter into the cooker-or stallizer even when in movement. In the nited States Patent No. 1,649,601 referred to above, relating to this cooker-crystallizer, it is indicated 4 that the cooked mass is fed into the apparatus by gravit through atrap or valve located on the trough, the apparatus naturally havin to be stopped in a suitable position for this operation.

- the apparatus, become, in the new arrangement, simple sta plates. These plates are pierced with ho es, for the'passage of the tubes and also with larger apertures for the circulation of the cooked mass as are the other of the apparatus- However, no expansion joint is necessary.

' The jointing of the tubes in pairs is effected by means of elbows of steel (or any 20 other sultablemetal) which are welded onto the ends of the two adjacent tubes. In Figure 16 this construction is illustrated in detail. In this figure the tubes are designated by the reference numeral 40; the steel elbow connecting the tubes b the numeral 41, and

the auto enous weld, or assuring the tightness of t e joint by the numeral 42.

These tubes, as in' the knownapparatus, form cups distributed in spiral curves or In order to causethe cooked mass to enter so in bla es or any other form, oneof the tubes into the cookel: wl h fi necesslty of p in each group serving, for the entrance of pmg the rotation of this apparatus, the sucwater and another for its outlet. The .num-' tion piping of the cooker mass must be' conber of tubes in each roup is even, in such nected up with suitable vacuum plpmg. a manner that the et apertures and the For this purpose the vacuum mlet and the 3 outlet apertures are located at one end of inlet'pipe-ofthe cooked mass are connected *1 the apparatus. I up in a-s'ystem mounted on the shaft of the All-the apertures of the inlet tubes are cooker and insuch a manner that a single connected to a crown 6 and all the apertures. fi g O s' ufl ensure b the 1110' of the outlet tubes are connected to another bility-of the apparatus and; the absolute sepacrown 7. Each of these two crowns is conration of the two pipmgs. nected to one of the concentric channels 8 and v The cooked mas nters into the centre of 9 which extend throughvthe plate 10 closing h k r r ugh t pip 18 fixed en h the connection chamber. This being facilio ked mass valve casing 37. This pipe is tated by a member 11 forming a stufling box. fixed, i. e. -does not take part inithe rotary All the 'oints of the tubes with the crowns movement of the cooker. 110 V and of t e crowns'with the concentric chan- .nels are effected by welding, in such a manner that no joint'remains and e the cooked mass to the risk of coming'into con tact with water or steam.

The closure plate 10-i's assembled onto the body of the'ap'paratus by means of bolts, and it will. be seen that owing to the central stufling-box 11, it is easy to remove this closure plate for the purpose of inspecting the apparatus.

The vacuum intake is effected through an annular channel20 likewise stationary and integral, with the'pipe 18. On this annular channel arebranched on the one hand a tube 19starting'from the pipe leading to the condenser, and on the other hand, the draught chimney 21 provided with itsca 22, to which reference was made in United tates Patent No. 1,649,601. Y

This double tube 18-20 is primarily supby an outer; supporfi siocket 23 coir);

a nec y means 0 an are e structure 3 mfi provlded g tcthe circular or frontal plate 25 of the cooker atent No. 1,653,? 12 rev and, in additlon, by an mner support socket so ferred to above for the distribution or ar- 26 likewise connected to the bottom of the rangement of the inlets and of the outlets of cooker. v

i the water i? PF l P l f for the Astufiing-box 27 prevents the entry of any PW P e pr y of the air between the internal socket and the double thermlc conditions in the section. tube. Q N There may be adopted the method of. This single stufing box, as already ex- ,stufiingox 28 inside the apparatus in order to prevent the cooked mass penetrating between the inner socket and the double tube.

A chamber 29 is located between the. inner socket, the double tube and the two stuflingboxes; this chamber will be constantly washed and cooled by a stream of water enterin through the tube 30 and passing out'throu the tube 31, these two tubes .passin int e circular channel of the vacuum int e. Instead of water, steam may also be caused to circulate momentarily in this same chamber and through the-same tubes.

The outer socket 23 is lubricated by means of a pressure lubricator 32.

0n the central cooked mass feed, there is also branched a cook 33 for introducing syrup into the cooker, a cook 34 for initially introducing syrup in to the apparatus, even when the latter is in movement, cleaning cocks 35 and 36 for cleaning the tube 18, and also the the cooking apparatus. The valve 37 may be operated in any suitable manner as by means of the wheel 39.

In addition, in order to avoid the hardening of the cooked mass in the tube 18-during cooling, there is provided in this tube a small helicalscrew element 38 which is connected.

' apparatus through the valve mounted on This door is the pipe 19.

If desired a manhole 48 may be provided on the circular plate 25; A sliding door 49 is illustrated for emptying the apparatus at the lowest point ofthe discharge or vacuum tank. illustrated on both Figures 1 and 2. a

What I claim is A crystallizer cooker comprising a rotatable closed cylindrical casing, a plurality of tubelike elements arrangedvin groups and interconnected and forming concentric spirals extending from the longitudinal axis of the easmg to its periphery, an inlet for each group adjacent the periphery of the casing, an outlet for each group adjacent the axis of the casing, means for feeding the cooked mass into the casin axially thereof, a vacuum in.- take axially o the casing for feeding material to the casing during its rotation,-a feed-inlet pipe arranged interially of and coaxially with the vacuum intake, sockets depending from the for supporting the said pipe and intake, a g and posit oned inside said casing and a gland located outside said casing for preventing the cooked mass from netratmg between the internal rotating socket and said concentric intake and pi the inner socket having apertures therein located in the annular zone of the vacuum intake, and means connected with the said apertures whereby the inner socket may be cooled by the continuous circulation of a cooling fluid through the said apertures.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FERNAND LAFEUILLE.

.pipe connecting the cooked mass valve 37 to 

